Queen Marika, the ruler of The Lands Between in Elden Ring, has ties to people and places that may point to her actually being a Mimic from the Eternal Cities. This Elden Ring theory has evolved in the months since the game launched. It may sound outlandish at first but makes a lot of sense when considering the game’s penchant for hidden plots and alternate identities. The theory also has significant in-game evidence to back it up.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Elden Ring.]Marika is one of the most mysterious characters in Elden Ring. Most of her story happens in the past, but the game’s significant events occur because of her actions. It shows how powerful and influential Marika is in this world. The potential of her being a Mimic from the Eternal City is an essential point on the timeline of everything that happened before Elden Ring. It also means that there may be a different way to interpret the game’s main story.
Queen Marika’s backstory must be examined to understand her potential motivations in this theory, which is explored thoroughly by Reddit user Mati9S. These can vary depending on the interpretation. Another crucial point of discussion is the history of the Eternal City and its inhabitants, the Nox. They are likely the reason Mimics exist, but their connection to Marika goes deeper. Ranni and the player Tarnished’s role in the plot must also be explored to evaluate the effect of Marika’s possible true nature.
Queen Marika The Eternal’s Backstory Connects Her To The Nox
Marika is an Empyrean, a vessel chosen by the Two Fingers to serve an outer god known as the Greater Will. As ruler of the land, she formed the Golden Order under the Greater Will that dictates many of the world’s inhabitants' actions, like why Trolls pull coffins across the Lands Between. For all the mystery and intrigue surrounding Marika, a few items reveal her backstory. The Numen’s Rune item description explains that Marika belongs to the race of Numen. This also ties her to the Black Knife Assassins, as their armor description reveals them also to be Numen. It’s possible to select Numen as the player’s race in the character creation menu, where it is stated that they are a race of long-lived individuals that descend from another world.
Despite her status as an Empyrean and vessel of the Greater Will, there are hints suggesting she was plotting to betray the outer god. At Elden Ring's Roundtable Hold, the player can hear the blacksmith Hewg whispering a prayer to Marika. He can also be heard muttering about Marika’s command that he smith a weapon that can kill a god. The Greater Will may have learned of this plot and locked Marika inside the Erdtree as punishment. The god’s knowledge of her betrayal is supported by the fact that the Two Fingers have selected three other Empyreans to be Marika’s successor - Miquella, Malenia, and Ranni. Marika's imprisonment could be why her Grace is guiding the Tarnished, to put the player in contact with Hewg so they can use the god-killing weapon in her stead.
On the surface, Marika’s title, The Eternal, can mean that, since she is a vassal of the Greater Will in Elden Ring's Lands Between, she is to live eternally. It may also be a reference to the long lives of the Numen. However, it could also indicate that she is of the Eternal City. If this is indeed the meaning behind the moniker, Marika would likely have to hide this fact because of the feud between the Greater Will and the Nox.
Elden Ring’s Eternal Cities Want To Usher In The Age Of Stars
The Nox are the inhabitants of the twin Eternal Cities, Nokron and Nokstella. There was a third, unnamed Eternal City that was destroyed by Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, as mentioned in a boss' remembrance, discussed by Reddit user Canor_jax. The armor set of the Nox reveals that they long ago angered the Greater Will and were banished underground. There they live under a false night sky in eternal anticipation of their Lord of Night and the Age of Stars, Elden Ring's most popular ending.
Rogier, one of the game's NPCs, has dialogue that hints at links between the Nox and the Numen. He says that the Black Knife Assassins are scions of the Eternal City. This implies that the Nox and Numen may actually be the same race. One likely scenario is that when the Greater Will arrived in the Lands Between and demanded the residents worship it as their god, the Nox refused to convert and were punished. Numen, translated from Latin, can mean "favor of the gods." The Numen may be those of the Nox who accepted The Greater Will as their god.
Nox, translated from Latin, means "night." The Nox, wanting revenge on The Greater Will, sought to forge their Lord of Night with the use of Mimic Silver Tears. These are fluid beings that make up Elden Ring's most overpowered Spirit Ashes, and can take on a multitude of forms. They are often seen as silver blobs but also appear as Nightfolk, one of the selectable races in the character creation menu. The Mimic Tear Ashes and Silver Tear Husk item descriptions explain the Nox’s attempts to create a lord. It isn’t clear whether or not they succeeded, but if they had, the Nox wanted this lord to bring about the Age of Stars and overthrow the Greater Will.
Ranni May Be In League With Marika Against The Greater Will
One central character that ties into this plot is Ranni the Witch. She is aligned with the Nox’s goals and is hinted to be working with them in some capacity, as she has a teleporter in Renna’s Rise that links to Nokstella. Like the Nox, Ranni seeks to finish her Elden Ring quest by ushering in the Age of Stars, which is the achievement awarded for choosing her ending. She is also an Empyrean and child of Radagon/Marika. During her quest line, Ranni reveals that she was behind the Night of the Black Knives. It’s possible that Marika conspired with Ranni by telling her where Destined Death can be found since Marika is the one who removed it from the Elden Ring and hid it.
However, the death of Godwyn the Golden poses a potential challenge to this theory. On the Night of the Black Knives, Ranni’s physical form died while Godwyn’s soul form perished. Godwyn was supposedly Marika’s favorite child, and, from some perspectives, his death is one of the reasons she tried to destroy the Elden Ring, which led to a Elden Ring's brutal war known as The Shattering. In other words, it’s unclear why Marika would help or recruit Ranni if it would mean the death of her favorite child. One possible explanation is that Ranni accepted Marika’s help with the intention of betraying her, but there is no solid evidence.
The intersections of Marika’s plans with those of the Nox and Ranni provide enough circumstantial evidence to suggest that Marika may be the lord the Nox tried to forge with the Silver Tears. If she truly is a Mimic, this also explains her ability to transform into Radagon. The plots these individuals set forth have been in play long before the events of Elden Ring. When the player Tarnished arrives in The Lands Between, they will have a crucial role in the outcome of these plans. Assuming the player chooses Ranni’s Age of Stars ending, it's possible Marika and the Nox will be proven victorious.
Source: Mati9S/Reddit, Canor_jax/Reddit